Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2011

47-2211 Sheet Metal Workers

Fabricate, assemble, install, and repair sheet metal products and equipment, such as ducts, control boxes, drainpipes, and furnace casings. Work may involve any of the following: setting up and operating fabricating machines to cut, bend, and straighten sheet metal; shaping metal over anvils, blocks, or forms using hammer; operating soldering and welding equipment to join sheet metal parts; or inspecting, assembling, and smoothing seams and joints of burred surfaces. Includes sheet metal duct installers who install prefabricated sheet metal ducts used for heating, air conditioning, or other purposes.


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
130,670 2.0 % $22.37 $46,530 0.7 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $12.30 $15.50 $20.55 $27.63 $35.75
Annual Wage (2) $25,580 $32,250 $42,730 $57,470 $74,350


Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Building Equipment Contractors 58,740 3.59 $23.93 $49,780
Architectural and Structural Metals Manufacturing 16,360 5.03 $19.80 $41,190
Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors 15,310 2.26 $20.59 $42,820
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 6,930 0.34 $25.68 $53,410
Nonresidential Building Construction 3,390 0.52 $21.58 $44,890

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Architectural and Structural Metals Manufacturing 16,360 5.03 $19.80 $41,190
Building Equipment Contractors 58,740 3.59 $23.93 $49,780
Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors 15,310 2.26 $20.59 $42,820
Motor Vehicle Body and Trailer Manufacturing 2,330 2.02 $19.63 $40,830
Ventilation, Heating, Air-Conditioning, and Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing 2,040 1.60 $20.95 $43,570

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 50 (7) $34.84 $72,460
Motor Vehicle Manufacturing 50 0.03 $32.46 $67,520
Local Government (OES Designation) 300 0.01 $30.55 $63,550
Elementary and Secondary Schools 90 (7) $26.93 $56,020
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 370 0.01 $26.79 $55,730


Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Texas 11,650 1.13 1.11 $17.38 $36,150
California 11,300 0.81 0.79 $27.65 $57,510
Florida 6,200 0.87 0.85 $17.35 $36,090
Georgia 5,780 1.53 1.50 $19.77 $41,120
New York 5,740 0.68 0.67 $27.37 $56,920




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Kansas 3,190 2.44 2.39 $19.76 $41,110
North Dakota 850 2.28 2.24 $18.65 $38,780
Oklahoma 3,190 2.13 2.09 $21.66 $45,050
Maine 950 1.64 1.61 $18.92 $39,360
Oregon 2,570 1.62 1.59 $23.64 $49,170




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Nevada 1,050 0.94 0.93 $29.53 $61,430
Hawaii 540 0.93 0.92 $29.19 $60,700
New Jersey 2,140 0.57 0.56 $28.30 $58,860
Illinois 4,940 0.89 0.87 $28.19 $58,630
Alaska 410 1.31 1.29 $28.10 $58,450





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX 3,580 1.40 1.38 $17.39 $36,180
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL Metropolitan Division 2,930 0.82 0.80 $30.30 $63,020
New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 2,920 0.58 0.57 $30.59 $63,620
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division 2,900 1.26 1.23 $24.45 $50,850
Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, AZ 2,380 1.40 1.37 $20.51 $42,660
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 2,320 1.14 1.11 $16.19 $33,670
Oklahoma City, OK 2,220 3.92 3.85 $23.38 $48,630
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 2,150 0.56 0.55 $24.81 $51,600
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA 2,030 0.91 0.89 $18.31 $38,080
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA 1,990 2.03 1.99 $24.31 $50,560




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Ogden-Clearfield, UT 800 4.18 4.11 $24.39 $50,740
Oklahoma City, OK 2,220 3.92 3.85 $23.38 $48,630
Corpus Christi, TX 650 3.70 3.63 $24.97 $51,930
Fargo, ND-MN 410 3.43 3.36 $16.74 $34,810
Longview, TX 290 3.11 3.05 $14.66 $30,500
Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL 150 2.97 2.91 (8) (8)
Bangor, ME 180 2.85 2.80 $16.80 $34,950
Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton, MA NECTA Division 250 2.84 2.79 $27.98 $58,190
Bremerton-Silverdale, WA 220 2.81 2.76 $30.97 $64,410
Grand Forks, ND-MN 130 2.67 2.62 $20.08 $41,760




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Yakima, WA 100 1.26 1.24 $38.19 $79,430
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA Metropolitan Division 380 0.40 0.39 $37.99 $79,010
Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ 80 0.60 0.59 $37.49 $77,970
Olympia, WA (8) (8) (8) $35.12 $73,040
Fairbanks, AK (8) (8) (8) $34.36 $71,460
Longview, WA (8) (8) (8) $34.24 $71,230
Gary, IN Metropolitan Division 220 0.84 0.82 $34.15 $71,040
Champaign-Urbana, IL 80 0.82 0.81 $32.97 $68,580
Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, MI Metropolitan Division 760 0.74 0.72 $32.41 $67,420
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 820 0.94 0.92 $31.93 $66,420

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 1,220 3.21 3.15 $17.00 $35,360
Northeast Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 690 3.30 3.24 (8) (8)
Other North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 470 1.61 1.58 $15.32 $31,870
Northeastern North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 450 2.58 2.54 $23.39 $48,650
Western Central North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 380 1.56 1.53 $15.85 $32,970

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northeast Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 690 3.30 3.24 (8) (8)
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 1,220 3.21 3.15 $17.00 $35,360
Northeastern North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 450 2.58 2.54 $23.39 $48,650
West Central North Dakota nonmetropolitan area 110 1.97 1.94 $22.17 $46,120
South Central Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area 260 1.92 1.88 $19.59 $40,750

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Upper Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area 80 0.73 0.72 $32.34 $67,260
Southwestern Washington nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $30.58 $63,600
Central Missouri nonmetropolitan area 160 0.93 0.91 $28.02 $58,290
Hawaii / Maui / Kauai nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $27.97 $58,180
Southwest New York nonmetropolitan area 80 0.42 0.41 $26.55 $55,220


About May 2011 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate--50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2011 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2011 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped XLS files

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 27, 2012